The Law School recently opened a new office to assist Law students seeking a judicial clerkship after graduation, expanding an already prominent multitude of career services.\nThe office seeks to answer students' questions and help them find clerkships that will give them experience in their desired career, said Ruth Payne, director of career services for clerkships and programs. The school opened the office as a result of a perceived increase in demand for judicial clerkships - one-year internships that allow new lawyers to work one-on-one with a judge, Payne said.\n"I think a judicial clerkship is an excellent transition from the academic setting of law to the more practical application of being in a firm or practice," said Kevin Donovan, senior assistant dean for career services at the Law School.\nThis practical experience could partly explain why demand for clerkships is increasing, Donovan said. Additionally, the market for legal services might be smaller in the current economy, so clerkships may be a more attractive option than going straight into practice, he added.\nIn general, clerks tend to do a large amount of legal research and writing, Payne said.\nDepending on the clerkship, however, other tasks may vary. For example, clerkships with trial justices can provide considerable courtroom experience, while clerkships with appellate judges are more research-based, Payne said.\nOverall, the University has been successful in placing its Law students in judicial clerkships in the past, Payne said, but the new office should build on these efforts.\n"In some ways this office is just a recognition of the fact that Virginia has a very strong clerkship program and we want to put resources into it to make sure we continue to have a strong ... program," Payne said.
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